---
title: Sarcopenia and Visceral Obesity in Esophageal and Gastric Cancer
nct_id: NCT03061370
overall_status: COMPLETED
sponsor: "St. James's Hospital, Ireland"
study_type: OBSERVATIONAL
primary_condition: Esophageal Cancer
countries: Ireland
canonical_url: "https://parkinsonspathways.com/agent/trials/NCT03061370.md"
clinicaltrials_gov: "https://clinicaltrials.gov/study/NCT03061370"
ct_last_update_post_date: 2020-03-26
last_seen_at: "2026-05-12T06:19:00.185Z"
source: ClinicalTrials.gov (mirrored, no enrichment)
---
# Sarcopenia and Visceral Obesity in Esophageal and Gastric Cancer

**Official Title:** An Investigation of the Prevalence and Clinical Impact of Sarcopenia and Visceral Obesity Among Patients With Upper Gastrointestinal Malignancies

**NCT ID:** [NCT03061370](https://clinicaltrials.gov/study/NCT03061370)

## Key Facts

- **Status:** COMPLETED
- **Study Type:** OBSERVATIONAL
- **Target Enrollment:** 317
- **Lead Sponsor:** St. James's Hospital, Ireland
- **Conditions:** Esophageal Cancer, Gastric Cancer, Sarcopenia, Sarcopenic Obesity, Obesity, Visceral Obesity, Quality of Life, Surgery, Complication of Treatment, Chemotherapeutic Toxicity, Physical Activity, Oncology
- **Start Date:** 2010-01-01
- **Completion Date:** 2019-01-01
- **CT.gov Last Update:** 2020-03-26

## Brief Summary

In line with improvements in oncologic outcome for patients with esophageal cancer, the attritional impact of curative treatment with respect to functional status and health-related quality of life (HR-QL) in survivorship is increasingly an important focus. Functional recovery after surgery for esophageal cancer is commonly confounded by anorexia and early satiety, which may reduce oral nutrient intake with consequent malnutrition and weight loss. One in three disease-free patients has more than fifteen percent body weight loss at three years after esophagectomy.

The ESPEN Special Interest Group on cachexia-anorexia in chronic wasting diseases has defined sarcopenia as skeletal muscle index (SMI) of ≤39 cm2/m2 for women and ≤55cm2/m2 for men, while similar cut-off points have been validated in upper gastrointestinal and respiratory malignancies (less than 38.5 cm2/m2 for women and 52.4 cm2/m2 for men). The European Working Group on Sarcopenia in Older People (EWGSOP) additionally recommends that assessment should also include determination of muscle function, for example gait speed or grip strength, where possible.

The presence of sarcopenia is associated with increase treatment-associated morbidity, impaired HR-QL, reduced physical and role functioning, and increased pain scores in older adults. In addition, a previous longitudinal study demonstrated that the decline in HR-QL over a six year period in older adults was accelerated in the presence of sarcopenia. As such, sarcopenia may represent a modifiable barrier to recovery and subsequent retention of HR-QL and functional status, and may reinforce a persistent illness identity, among patients following potentially curative treatment for esophageal cancer.

## Eligibility

- **Minimum age:** 18 Years
- **Sex:** ALL
- **Healthy Volunteers:** No

```
Inclusion Criteria:

* Initial staging computed tomography (CT) scan capturing the level of the L3 conducted at our Centre and available for review

Exclusion Criteria:

* Patients who had a history of previous gastrointestinal resection, other active malignancy, eating disorder, inflammatory bowel disease or other significant illness that might alter body composition were excluded from analysis.
```

## Interventions

- **Esophagectomy or Gastrectomy** (PROCEDURE) — Surgical resection

## Primary Outcomes

- **Neoadjuvant therapy toxicity** _(time frame: 6 months)_
- **Postoperative morbidity** _(time frame: 6 months)_
- **Oncologic outcome** _(time frame: 6 months)_
- **Survival** _(time frame: 5 years)_

## Locations (2)

- Department of Surgery, St. James's Hospital, Dublin, Ireland
- Wellcome Trust-Health Research Board Clinical Research Facility, St. James's Hospital, Dublin, Ireland

## Recent Field Changes (last 30 days)

- `status.overallStatus` — added _(2026-05-12)_
- `status.primaryCompletionDate` — added _(2026-05-12)_
- `status.completionDate` — added _(2026-05-12)_
- `status.lastUpdatePostDate` — added _(2026-05-12)_
- `design.enrollmentCount` — added _(2026-05-12)_
- `eligibility.criteria` — added _(2026-05-12)_
- `eligibility.minAge` — added _(2026-05-12)_
- `eligibility.sex` — added _(2026-05-12)_
- `outcomes.primary` — added _(2026-05-12)_
- `armsInterventions.interventions` — added _(2026-05-12)_
- `sponsor.lead` — added _(2026-05-12)_
- `results.hasResults` — added _(2026-05-12)_
- `locations.department of surgery, st. james's hospital|dublin||ireland` — added _(2026-05-12)_
- `locations.wellcome trust-health research board clinical research facility, st. james's hospital|dublin||ireland` — added _(2026-05-12)_

---

*Canonical: https://parkinsonspathways.com/agent/trials/NCT03061370.md*  
*Source data (authoritative): https://clinicaltrials.gov/study/NCT03061370*  
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